1. Field of Art
The disclosure relates generally to a method and/or system of transmitting media items from a media source to a media player, and more specifically, to transmitting the media items which provides a continuous media experience even when a communication channel is disrupted or does not have sufficient bandwidth to transmit the media item.
2. Description of Related Art
Many households have multiple media sources and media players (hereinafter collectively called “media devices”). Although some media sources can allow a user to experience media items without separate media players, many media sources must be hooked up to the media players for the user to experience the media items. Commonly used media sources include set-top boxes (STB), videocassette recorders (VCR), personal computers, and digital video recorders (DVR). Some media sources (e.g., a set-top box) receive streaming data from external sources whereas other media sources (e.g., a DVD player) read data stored on storage devices (e.g., a DVD disk). The media players coupled to the media sources include personal computers, televisions, and audio systems.
Conventionally, the media devices were connected by one or more dedicated lines. For example, RCA type connectors or S-Video connectors were often used to transmit video signals between the media devices. These dedicated lines are often shielded from interferences and has sufficient bandwidth to transmit necessary signals between the media sources and the media players. Such connectors, however, are compatible with a limited number of compatible devices. Moreover, such connectors can provide communication only if the media devices are in close proximity, typically within 10 yards.
Accordingly, the media devices in close proximity form an island separated from other islands consisting of other sets of media devices. For example, one island may consist of an audio system, and a large screen TV in a living room. Another island may consist of a personal computer and a LCD monitor in a bedroom. Generally, the devices of the two islands remain isolated from each other and do not communicate.
Various attempts have been made to provide interoperability between the islands of the media devices. For example, Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) published a set of industry design guidelines to allow the interoperability between the various media devices. The DLNA attempts to remove the island effect by allowing media devices to communicate through common communication channels. The DLNA uses various wired or wireless communication channels along with IPv4 protocol suites to provide connection between the various media devices.
The available bandwidth of the common communication channels, however, can fluctuate as a result of external interferences. A wireless communication channel can be interfered by other radio signals or other wireless stations using the same channel. Power line communication (PLC) channels also can be interfered when appliances requiring high electric consumption are turned to an on state. Sometimes the whole communication channel may become unavailable due to overloaded traffic or extreme interferences.
Sometimes a broadband communication channel is required between the media sources and the media players to transmit media items such as high-definition (HD) video files across the media devices. This broadband communication channel may have reduced capacity due to other communication traffic or interferences. In such cases where the broadband communication channel is unavailable or its capacity significantly reduced, the media item played on the media players may be severely distorted or fragmented. Rather than viewing distorted or fragmented media items in a high-quality format, the user may prefer to view the media item in a standard definition (SD) or a lower definition format. In conventional systems and methods, however, the user must manually perform conversion of the file or configure the media source so that the data from the media source may be transmitted over the communication channel with a reduced bandwidth.
Using conventional methods of transmitting media items, the media items cannot be experienced in real time unless the communication channel between the media sources and the media players has a sufficient bandwidth. Even if multiple communications channels are available between the media sources and the media players, conventional methods do not leverage the combined bandwidth of each communication channel.
Therefore, the present art lacks, inter alia, a method and/or system of transmitting media items across media devices that allows the user to experience the media item even when there are disruptions or interferences in a communication channel. Further, it lacks, inter alia, a method and/or system of transmitting media items that allows the user to experience media items requiring a bandwidth larger than the bandwidth of one communication channel provided between the media devices.